{"id":31986,"date":"2020-12-19T16:26:37","date_gmt":"2020-12-19T16:26:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-mondaycomblog.kinsta.cloud\/?post_type=teamwork&p=31986"},"modified":"2025-09-23T03:17:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T08:17:46","slug":"what-is-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monday.com\/blog\/teamwork\/what-is-collaboration\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaboration best practices 101"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaboration feels like one of those words we all understand. We know what it means and have no problem using it in a sentence. When people say it, there\u2019s no hesitation. We get it. But the way we collaborate now is different than what it was 10 years ago. Technology has changed the way we work together.<\/p>\n

The answer may surprise you. Collaboration is the act of working together, but as society evolves, so does the way<\/em>\u00a0we collaborate.<\/p>\n

In this article, we’ll provide a comprehensive definition, as well as address some common questions and misconceptions about the collaborative process.<\/p>\n

Get started<\/a><\/p>\n

What is collaboration?<\/h2>\n

Collaboration is the act of two or more people working together to achieve a shared goal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the workplace, it’s the sharing of ideas, tasks, or skills with the aim of developing processes, brainstorming ideas, or completing projects.<\/p>\n

It may surprise you to learn that there are many types of collaboration. From team to community collaboration, we’ll walk you through some types below:<\/p>\n

1. Team collaboration<\/h3>\n

Team collaboration is the oldest and most common form of collaboration. Its signature quality is that everyone is familiar with each other and their work. During team collaboration, each person’s unique skills contribute towards the team\u2019s greater goal.<\/p>\n

What this could look like:<\/em><\/strong> a group brainstorming session where the entire team gathers together to think of messaging around a new product.<\/p>\n

2. Social collaboration<\/h3>\n

During social collaboration, teams work across a digital platform and pool their collective expertise rather than relying on their own skills.<\/p>\n

What this could look like: <\/em><\/strong>monday.com is a Work Operating System (Work OS) that allow teams to share documents, tasks, and reports.<\/p>\n

By freely sharing assets on the same platform where teams communicate and collaborate, monday.com users can help each other meet common goals in real-time.<\/p>\n

Try out our team task tracker template<\/a>\u00a0to see social collaboration in action:<\/p>\n

\"collaboration<\/p>\n

Get started<\/a><\/p>\n

3. Cross-functional collaboration<\/h3>\n

With team collaboration, everyone knows each other. Cross-functional is the opposite. It\u2019s what happens when various department teams or verticals join forces to achieve a common goal for the greater organization.<\/p>\n

What this could look like: <\/em><\/strong>HR and marketing teams sit in a room together and come up with new recruitment tactics for open positions.<\/p>\n

4. Virtual collaboration<\/h3>\n

As globalization accelerates, so does the capacity for remote collaboration<\/a>. People no longer just work locally, they collaborate with people around the world. Video conferencing, cloud-based software, and channel-based messaging platforms make it easier than ever to share knowledge and human resources globally.<\/p>\n

What this could look like: <\/em><\/strong>A sales team meets over Zoom and discusses how to best explain a new feature to prospects.<\/p>\n

5. Community collaboration<\/h3>\n

The concept of community collaboration revolves around the idea of sharing. Ideally, teams wouldn\u2019t work in silos hoarding their information and resources. Instead, they\u2019d freely share their knowledge with the entire community, so everyone rises together.<\/p>\n

What this could look like: <\/em><\/strong>During a company-wide meeting, all department heads share their data about the previous quarter, what they learned, and how their findings will help other teams reach company goals.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference between communication and collaboration? Putting knowledge to good use.<\/h2>\n

Communication and collaboration are not synonymous. They\u2019re complimentary, but they have unique definitions and uses in the workplace.<\/p>\n

The bottom line is: communication is all about sharing knowledge, while collaboration is putting that information to good use.<\/p>\n

Communication can exist without collaboration, but without communication, collaboration is impossible. An example of communication is calling an organization to inquire about possible job opportunities. If after you get the job, you join your new team in a brain-storming session to generate ideas for your first project, then you\u2019re collaborating.<\/p>\n

Pro tip: collaborating with a team is much easier when you have one software for sharing and creating documents, tasks, and projects.<\/p>\n

When everyone can work from the same platform and track progress\u2013no matter where they’re located\u2014you’ll be able to move from communicating about a project to truly collaborating on delivering the final result.<\/p>\n

Get started<\/a><\/p>\n

Why is collaboration so important?<\/h2>\n

The benefits of collaboration to an organization are immense. Ultimately, collaboration is a skill that helps teams work together, come up with new ideas, listen, and learn from each other. All of this helps teams efficiently reach company goals.<\/p>\n

Let’s break down a few more reasons collaboration is so important:<\/p>\n

It strengthens problem-solving skills<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re working on a project, and you get stuck. You\u2019ve tried everything you can think of, and you\u2019re all out of ideas. What\u2019s your next move? It\u2019s unlikely that you give up entirely. You go get help. You ask someone to come brainstorm potential solutions.<\/p>\n

You work together until you solve the problem. Collaboration shouldn\u2019t be the last resort. It\u2019s better off baked into the way your team works day-to-day.<\/p>\nA lesser-known benefit of collaboration is that it helps you identify your own strengths and weaknesses. As you collaborate, you inherently seek out people with complementary skills that counterbalance your weaknesses.<\/span><\/a>\n

You and your team can strengthen your problem-solving skills by having everyone come up with alternative solutions to a problem or roadblock, implementing transparent communication, and remaining open to all ideas and opinions. Then, once everyone shares their perspective, you can examine as a team the best way to approach the task.<\/p>\n

New communication lines break through barriers<\/h3>\n

Cross-collaboration with people from other departments or verticals opens up opportunities like never before. As bonds strengthen and ideas flow more naturally, your teams will connect the dots between potential project breakthroughs and revolutionary business ideas.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

An easy way to create new communication lines is by having your team share their work with other departments. Hold monthly or bi-weekly meetings and get everyone together to see what others are working on and whether you can pull your resources together to achieve common goals.<\/p>\n

For instance, sales and marketing teams can meet to discuss a products’s selling points and then create assets to strengthen the sales funnel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It helps boost team morale<\/h3>\n

An organization that creates a collaborative atmosphere will naturally cause employees to trust and like each other more. Mostly because connections matter to people. Everyone wants to feel like they\u2019re a part of something bigger than themselves.<\/p>\n

We want to work with people we trust and feel trusted at the same time. Bonus points if people respect our point of view and show empathy throughout the collaborative process. When you can boost team morale through collaboration, you’ll make greater strides towards improving your bottom line.<\/p>\n

One way to boost team morale is by putting employees front and center. Give them a way to voice their opinions whether through a survey or a suggestion box and make then make decisions based on their feedback.<\/p>\n

Operational efficiency increases<\/h3>\n

Effective collaboration is far more than just a tool for boosting efficiency. It\u2019s a signpost that says, \u201cIt\u2019s okay to ask for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

For example, monday.com’s collaboration software (through our project tracker<\/a>)\u00a0makes it easier than ever to ask for help by marking a status as \u201cstuck:\u201d<\/p>\n

\"what<\/p>\n

That signals to your teammates that you could use an extra set of eyes or perhaps a whiteboard session<\/a> to break through to the other side.<\/p>\n

And you can create an automation<\/a>\u00a0which automatically sends a notification to a project lead whenever anybody’s status changes to “stuck,” so they know to follow up.<\/p>\n

Collaboration guides your team to greatness by promoting the sharing of ideas. It makes workloads easier to bear, cuts through the noise to find creative solutions, and keeps us on our toes when it matters most. In short, collaboration makes work feel easier, which helps us get more done in less time.<\/p>\n

The FAQs of collaboration<\/h2>\n

Now that we’ve gone though what collaboration is, why it’s important, and a few types of collaboration, let\u2019s take a look at some of the internet\u2019s frequently asked questions:<\/p>\n

How do you create collaboration in the workplace?<\/h3>\n

A truly collaborative organization wraps the framework of collaboration into everything they do. They discourage working in silos and focus on facilitating an atmosphere that\u2019s solution-oriented and free-thinking.<\/p>\n

Not sure where to start? We came up with a few suggestions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Invest in technology that allows teams to easily share projects, ideas, and initiatives organization-wide<\/li>\n
  2. Have managers and executives lead by example and prioritize collaboration<\/li>\n
  3. Encourage employees to work together and form meaningful relationships<\/li>\n
  4. Give good feedback early and often to help employees stay motivated<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Get started<\/a><\/p>\n

    How can people collaborate while working from home?<\/h3>\n

    Teams can collaborate from home with the right technology stack. According to the The State of Project Management 2020 Report<\/a>, 25% of people surveyed report not having the right technology to enable team collaboration on informal projects, even through this makes up 20% of work time.<\/p>\n

    They need communication tools so they can stay on the same page. They\u2019ll also need a way to store files and share them in real-time. Most importantly, they need a workspace where they can share ideas, status updates, and deliverables and get help or feedback.<\/p>\n

    For example, monday.com has monday workdocs, a way for your team to easily collaborate \u2014 in real-time \u2014 and conduct training, research, ideation, and more.<\/p>\n

    \"what<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    What\u2019s the best virtual collaboration tool?<\/h3>\n

    Markets & Markets<\/a>\u00a0believes the online collaboration market will hit nearly $60 billion so naturally there\u2019s quite a bit of competition out there.<\/p>\n

    So, who do we believe is the best?<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s no surprise that we believe monday.com is the best virtual collaboration tool.<\/p>\n

    Here’s what we think you’ll love about us:<\/p>\n